Southpaws Playschool for Dogs and Puppies Austin, Texas

Horrible people that treat their prospective employees with contempt and refuse to pay living wages

Owner treats employees poorly, doesn't pay wage to meet minimum cost of living standards in Austin.

If the owner of this place treats the dogs like they treat potential job applicants, definitely stay far away. Owner responds to legitimate concerns with verbal abuse.

I highly encourage you to go look at their facebook posts, specifically the one about trying to find people to work for them. Literally told someone to ‘get a life’ because they said the wage they were offering was not live-able. Even told …

Staff need to brush up on their puppy body language skills. Allowed a teenage dog to enter a 8-16 week old socialization group when it was promised it would be only young puppies of 8-16 weeks. Made no move to intervene when large teen dog charged my 12w old puppy, terrifying him into a screaming fit in a corner. Then large teen dog proceeded to attack another puppy with a bite and latch onto a shoulder and made said puppy cry and pee itself while backed into a wall under a chair after puppy gave multiple warnings it was not comfortable. Again, no moves to intervene. Only ten minutes after that did they separate the teen dog into another room. Highly irresponsible facility in regards to puppyhood and puppy safety. I was promised a safe place and that is not what I received. Trainer apologized but only when inquired about the two incidents.

I would not recommend this place at all!!! I WOULD ADVISE TO STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE!! Please go somewhere, where your pups will not get hurt.

Updated 2 star review: I stand by my original review and think my dog did well there in the tinies and littles group when he was a young puppy. I think for small dogs, for puppy parties, and for training classes Southpaws is a good place to be which is why I still gave them 2 stars. However, my review is changing because after my dog got neutered he was moved up to the bigs group for daycare. He was about 9 months old at this time. He was in the bigs group for about 1 week and the staff told me that the big dogs do play rougher. Then he was bitten on his stomach and had 4 puncture wounds. He had to be treated with antibiotics and pain medications for about 1 week afterwards. Southpaws did not alert me that my dog had gotten bit until I picked him up at the end of the day. I know free range daycare carries this risk but since we had been going to Southpaws for 6 months I did not expect this to occur. Given the past reviews of dogs getting bitten, we never went back for another day of daycare here. He has since been going to a different daycare that has free range outdoor play for 2 months and has not had any scratches on him. If you have a large puppy I would be cautious about sending them here for daycare. Original 5 star review: I highly recommend Southpaws Playschool to anyone looking for a day care or puppy training classes. I am so happy that I found Southpaws Playschool. My 6 month old poodle puppy absolutely loves going to "school" and gets so excited when we pull in the parking lot. He started going to school when he was 12 weeks old and the staff has done an amazing job of taking care of him. He started in the "tinies" group and as he has grown has moved into the "littles" group. I love that the dogs are grouped by size and age to help facilitate play. The socialization skills he learned at daycare have been very helpful for living in an apartment. The staff genuinely cares about my puppy and I really like that I get updates on how he is doing at daycare. They are very professional and quick to reply to emails. Additionally we took the play train your puppy class and it was so informative. I loved the way we trained the dogs in the class. I feel I have a strong bond with my puppy as a result and he is so well behaved for only 6 months of age.

I just finished Southpaws play train your puppy course and my puppy and I loved it. By the end of the course my pup had gotten out of her shell and was playing with the other pups, and we learned some great obedience and tricks along the way. Sonya was a great instructor. You can tell she loves dogs, and taught us all how to be the best dog owners we could be. Would highly recommend this course (and their puppy parties) for new dog parents!

Cannot say enough good about Southpaws! I took my dog there after my sitter canceled at the last minute before a vacation. They were extremely professional and caring. My dog is elderly and just needs a little more attention and care. They happily provided him with that and then some! After he wet his bed they even took the time to clean him and his bed. They saved our trip and took exceptional care of our furry friend. Will use them in the future for every vacation or event where he needs to be boarded. Thank you so much!

I’ve tried a lot of different doggy daycares in Austin and Southpaws is the best experience I’ve had. The whole staff is fantastic with Newt who spends 80% of his day sleeping at home but inexplicably starts acting like a lunatic the second we pull into the parking lot. Leaving him at sitters always makes me anxious and they’re very patient with him and with me asking the same questions repeatedly.

My golden retriever Addie loves school and sleepovers at Southpaws. She can’t get in the door fast enough when we arrive because she’s so excited, and she’s the perfect amount of tired at the end of the day. The dogs play in the morning, have an early afternoon nap (that is free range in the play area with their friends not in a kennel), then play the rest of the day. They enforce great dog manners. Addie has learned commands like “leave it” at school. In addition, their training classes are interactive small groups and excellent. Sonya, Tim and their employees truly care for the dogs, are very attentive, have a wealth of knowledge about dogs and offer excellent advice when requested. When I leave Addie for boarding (sleepovers), I trust that she is just as well cared for as she would be at home. Addie has been attending Southpaws Playschool for almost 3 years - I 100% recommend Southpaws Playschool!

Great place to take your dog for training

If you're looking for a great play school for your pup, this is the place!!! Our 9 month old labradoodle is always SO EXCITED when she arrives and exhausted when she leaves (thank goodness!). The bonus, she smells like essential oils on pick up, no dirty dog! Family owned and lots of love here, highly recommend.

I’m so happy we found southpaws. The staff are exceptional and caring. I always know he’s in good hands and can’t wait to go back. Thank you for being a second home to my fur baby.

I very recently started bringing my new rescue dog to Southpaws Playschool. I specify that she’s a rescue because she has a lot of learning to do to become calm and confident, and Sonya and her staff have provided a lot of advice to help me train her at home. Sonya has been extremely responsive to my emails and questions. It is so clear that everyone there just loves dogs and that my dog loves going. She’s normally a little fearful, but as soon as her second visit, she ran up to the door ready to play! I will definitely keep bringing her back!

After extensive research we settled on Southpaws for our dog. We've been taking him a few days a week for the last few months and couldn't be happier. They have an easy and secure system for drop-off and pick-up, and seem to take great care of the dogs while they're there. Our pup always comes home tired and we haven't had any issues during our time. Highly recommend!

Saved me in a last minute pinch. Will be coming back!

I LOVE everyone who works here beyond measure and so does my German Shepherd Jax! The owners, Sonya & Tim went above and way beyond to help me a few years ago when I first adopted Jax and he went there almost every day for 6 months. They were literally Angels. They have a huge covered play area outside and rotate the dogs based on their size. They also keep them separated by size indoors and the little ones have an area in the front so they get extra love when people are coming and going. All dogs are supervised at all times. All workers are certified and trained as an employee and in CPR/first aid. They teach classes there, offer boarding, have dog walking services and offer a super low rate for grooming for their customers. I can't say enough about Southpaws!????????????????

I walked over to talk to someone about putting my dogs into their daycare program and the doors were locked. I knocked and a gentleman came out but walked right across the room without even acknowledging that I was outside knocking. This was at 1:55pm on August 9th. I was getting my car inspected next door. Looks like I’ll find another daycare for my two puppies.

My dog loves it here. The staff is always friendly and helpful. We’ve also taken a training class with Sonya and she is one of the most passionate dog lovers I’ve ever met. She had many suggestions that have helped me with my quirky dog. I’m happy to have this place in my neighborhood.

A great place to take your Pets!! The Dogs always look like they are having a Good time!!

Amazing staff!!!! I wish I could give all the stars in the sky to them... I took my dogs to their location to receive their annual vaccinations and I was thrilled with their services and pricing. Thank you very much! :-)

I have taken my brown lab there for almost a year now. The staff is friendly and helpful. My lab is high energy and he comes home safe and exhausted. He gets to release energy there, when otherwise he would be at home sleeping all day! I highly recommend Southpaws. They care about their clients!

Great owners who really love dogs.

These people are good. It's just that simple. They care about the environment, they care about their (your) dogs, they care about people. They hired my company to perform an expensive thermal roof coating on their metal roof. Not because the roof was leaking but because they wanted to help keep the animals a few degrees cooler. They treated us kindly. It's so easy to see they just care, and that is rare in my experience.

Cheap for day care, i paid $22 a day for puppy school.

Mrs. Sonya and Mr. Tim take SUCH good care of my baby, there's no one I'd rather leave him with. They care for him like their own, and their passion for the pups is so evident. Always a pleasure!

They will treat your dog like their own here!!

My dog, Frankenstein, loves Southpaws Playschool. He is always excited to go in to play and he comes home tired! I also like them because they a supporter of rescue Dogs in Austin. I appreciate that.

I have been taking my oldest dog here for 8 years and my youngest for 5. Great place where Tim and Sonya and staff treat your pets like their own. The great thing about Southpaws is that pets can play freely together. My older dog has never had so much as a scratch. My younger more rambunctious dog will occasionally come back with a scratch from rough play. The point being that some of the negative reviews put the onus on Southpaws for injuries to their pets, but the proof is in the pudding. My youngest is a bit rowdy. The free playing atmosphere may not be for every dog, but no pet will receive more love and care at any pet care center than they receive at Southpaws.